Online Only: Hydrangea blue the color of Nantucket

By
Leslie Linsley

Posted Jul 22, 2018 at 5:44 PMUpdated Jul 22, 2018 at 5:47 PM

(July 19, 2018) When working on my book "Nantucket Cottages & Gardens" with photographer Terry Pommett, we were not only introduced to a mulitude of charming island cottages, but exquisite gardens as well.

Everyone is having a love affair right now with Nantucket's big, blue, beautiful hydrangea flowers. These absolutely fantastic bushes bloom in pink, white and deep wine, but it is the various shades of blue that stop visitors in their tracks.

Even once the blossoms are past their prime, islanders can't resist picking and drying them for making wreaths. The loveliest Nantucket weddings use blue hydrandeas as the theme and fill lightship baskets to place on each table. Brides carry hydrangea bouquets and the flower girl might have a miniature basket holding one blossom.

Bridesmaids' dresses are periwinkle blue. Every visitor can't resist this photo op and no bride can go wrong when choosing a hydrangea-blue and white theme for a Nantucket wedding.

The hydrangea is the perfect motif for any decorating scheme as well. To begin with, the colors can't be beat. And while lately many new homeowners and decorators seem to be veering away from blue and white, opting for various shades of gray, a hydrangea-blue color scheme is still refreshing in a summer home. The green of the petals is the perfect accent color, even if only used on napkins, place mats and throw pillows. When it comes to setting a summer table, all it takes is a basket filled with hydrangeas to set the stage. It's so simple and refreshing and only takes three to four blossoms for a dramatic statement. It's hard to imagine a prettier symbol of our island.

Over the years we've gotten away from what used to be considered "Nantucket style," a blue and white color scheme, lots of handcrafts and artwork from the island and basically a rag rug, dried flowers and baskets, all the things that symbolize a summery cottage feeling.

We thought of island style as casual, one where you could plunk down on the shabby-chic, slipcovered sofa, put your feet up on the painted coffee table and relax island-style.

If you're redecorating or adding to what you have or starting from scratch with a new home, the color of hydrangea blue is a good starting point. It will inspire you to choose fabrics, paint and other accessories. Know, however that like white, all blues are not created equal. The hydrangea blue, periwinkle in fact, varies, but mostly it has a drop of purple in it and is really quite sophisticated. It might make sense to take a petal with you for choosing the paint color.

This shade of blue is easy to live with and never seems to look tired. In fact, it is quite refreshing and seems to make people happy. If you have a room in need of some sprucing up, consider using a hydrangea theme.

I was recently in a guest bedroom decorated with hydrangea-patterned wallpaper that covered not only the walls, but the ceiling as well. The headboard and duvet cover had a matching pattern. Bright white wooden shutters on the windows and trim gave relief to the pattern, as opposed to curtains or valances which would have been too much. The wallpaper gave the room a freshness and at the same time a cocoon-like feeling appropriate for a bedroom.

When I worked at House Beautiful, every cover of the magazine, year after year, featured a blue and white room. The editor for all those years knew a good thing and simply stuck with it. It's easy to live with and never looks tired. Even if you already use blue, the particular periwinkle blue of the hydrangea is quite special and a good one to add, even in the accessories in a gray room.

While you're on vacation here, don't forget to take some of your pictures in front of these beautiful bushes whenever you pass them. If you live in the Northeast, consider adding hydrangeas to your landscaping. Just be warned, there's no telling what color will come up. They've been known to come out pink when you thought you'd planted blue. It has to do with the acidity of the soil so check with your nursery to avoid disappointment.

In the meantime, enjoy our beautiful Nantucket hydrangea bushes. We like to claim them as our own because we're convinced they aren't quite so big, blue and beautiful anywhere else in the world. In fact, someone once asked me if hydrangea was the official flower of Nantucket.

Now I'm sure I'll hear from many hydrangea bush owners off-island who think theirs are better than ours, but for at least one more month we're claiming them as our own.

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